memeorandum: Two police officers shot in Ferguson, Missouri, after chief quits (Kate Munsch/Reuters)

9:45 AM ET, March 12, 2015

Top Items:

Brent Budowsky / The Hill:

GOP, Bibi hurt Israel, USA — While the recalcitrant rightist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has left Israel more isolated in the world than at any time since 1948, Bibi's ill-advised recent speech to a joint session of Congress could reduce a historically nonpartisan …

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:

Republican Idiocy on Iran — After helping to ignite a firestorm over a possible nuclear agreement with Iran, Senator John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, is now sort of acknowledging his error. “Maybe that wasn't exactly the best way to do that,” he said on Fox News on Tuesday.

Discussion: CNN, Prairie Weather, The Week and Philly.com

Steve Benen / msnbc.com:

Kerry teaches Rubio the basics about the Middle East — At the recent CPAC gathering, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a likely Republican presidential candidate, seemed to stumble on one of the basic facts of the Middle East. “The reason Obama hasn't put in place a military strategy to defeat ISIS …

Discussion: First Draft, ThinkProgress and Hullabaloo

Kristina Wong / The Hill:

Kerry: ‘Utter disbelief’ at Iran letter — Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday slammed the Senate Republicans' open letter to Iran, calling it “irresponsible” and “flat wrong.” — Kerry said his reaction was “utter disbelief” to the letter, which warned Iran that any deal it reaches …

Discussion: American Spectator and Instapundit

William Saletan / Slate:
An Open Letter to 47 Republican Senators of the United States of America from Iran's Hard-Liners

Discussion: Bloomberg View

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Struggling in Congress, Republicans Unite on Foreign Policy

Discussion: Real Clear Politics and Politico

Politico: Foreign policy alters contours of GOP race

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hate mail: Senators seek to sabotage Obama's foreign policy

Discussion: Politico, PoliticusUSA, Concord Monitor, Baltimore Sun, Arizona Republic, Salt Lake Tribune, US News, White House.gov Blog, USA Today, Daily Kos and Washington Post

New York Times:

Democrats See No Choice but Hillary Clinton in 2016 — They shrug off questions about Hillary Rodham Clinton's email habits. They roll with the attacks on her family's foundation, the big checks from foreign governments, the torpid response of her not-yet-campaign.

Discussion: Bloomberg View, Washington Post and Weekly Standard

David Von Drehle / TIME:

The Clinton Way … Photograph by Spencer Platt-Getty Images

Discussion: Washington Post and Business Insider

Ben Kamisar / The Hill:

Hillary says ‘personal’ messages were deleted from email account — The political storm over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account intensified Tuesday as she revealed that more than 30,000 “personal” messages have been erased from the server in her home.

Discussion: The Daily Banter, Washington Times and Politico

Paul Waldman / The Week:
The media already bungled Hillary's ‘emailgate’

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Monthly, Horizons and prospect.org/blogs …

Kenneth P. Vogel / Politico:
Taxpayer tab for Clinton Inc.: $16 million

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, New York Magazine, Business Insider, The Hill and Techdirt

Washington Post:
Some top Democrats are alarmed about Clinton's readiness for a campaign

Discussion: The Federalist, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, Liberal Values, Weekly Standard, National Journal and CANNONFIRE

Politico: A Hillary Clinton feeding frenzy in the GOP House

Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly:
Let's Give 'Em Something To Talk About

Discussion: Washington Post and No More Mister Nice Blog

Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Early in 2016 Race, Clinton's Toughest Foe Appears to Be the News Media

Discussion: RedState, Washington Post, US News and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Big Tent Democrat / TalkLeft:
eGhazi: Why Democrats and Hillary Clinton Need A Contested Primary

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, Daily Kos, NBC News and BuzzFeed

Susan Weich / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Two police officers are shot in Ferguson — FERGUSON • Two police officers were hit by gunfire early Thursday outside the Ferguson police department. — The shots were fired as police were confronting protesters who had gathered outside the police station.

Discussion: Politico, Los Angeles Times, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, BBC, PoliticusUSA, Hinterland Gazette, Scared Monkeys, Hot Air, Mediaite, Common Dreams, The Other McCain, News One, Daily Kos, The Week and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

Kate Munsch / Reuters:

Two police officers shot in Ferguson, Missouri, after chief quits — (Reuters) - Two police officers were shot during a protest outside Ferguson, Missouri, police headquarters early on Thursday, police said, just hours after the city's police chief quit following a damning U.S. Justice Department report into his force.

Discussion: PUNDIT PRESS

John Eligon / New York Times:

2 Officers Are Shot Amid Protests Outside Ferguson Police Station — FERGUSON, Mo. — Two police officers were shot here early Thursday morning as gunfire rang out in front of the police station, throwing into panic what had been a spirited — and at times tense — but largely peaceful night of protests.

Discussion: Fox News, Talking Points Memo, Power Line and Fox News Insider

Fox News:
Embattled Ferguson police chief to resign, sources say

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Right Scoop, New York Times, Booman Tribune, The Week, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and The Gateway Pundit

Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:

Secret Service agents investigated for driving car into White House barrier — The administration is investigating allegations that two senior Secret Service agents, including a top member of President Obama's protective detail, drove a government car into White House security barricades …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, New York Times, Politico, New York Magazine, Mediaite, Business Insider, Liberaland, NBC News, NPR, Fox News, Talking Points Memo and Balloon Juice

Jordan Fabian / The Hill: Secret Service probed for drunk-driving incident, report says

WTKR-TV:

Portsmouth Sheriff furious with judges after being told to remove American flag display from courthouse … Portsmouth, Va. - Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson says he is furious after a group of judges told him to take down an American flag display. — Sheriff Watson said his agency got …

Discussion: BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, CBS DC, Moe Lane, The Daily Caller, FOX2now.com and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

John Lauerman / Bloomberg Business:

Columbia Will Shrink Journalism School as Media Woes Mount — (Bloomberg) — Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism will reduce its class size and cut about six positions from its staff as the news industry retrenches. — The school will gradually reduce enrollment …

Discussion: Poynter, New York Times and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Daily Mail:

Why chivalry may not always be what it seems: Men who hold doors open and smile may actually be sexist, study claims — If you're the sort of gentleman who holds the door open for a lady - or the sort of woman who expects him to - then be warned. — Such acts of chivalry may actually …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Ed Driscoll, protein wisdom and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Iran's Top Leader: GOP Letter Points to US ‘Disintegration’ — TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's supreme leader said Thursday that a letter from Republican lawmakers warning that any nuclear deal could be scrapped by the next U.S. president is a sign of “disintegration” in Washington.

Discussion: Political Wire and Mediaite

Ron Noyes / Ben Swann Truth In Media:

Exclusive Audio: As POTUS, Sen. Graham Vows U.S. Military Force Against Non-Compliant Congress — Among the crowded field of potential Presidential candidates vying for the GOP's nomination, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is the latest to stump in New Hampshire. — Exclusive audio here:

Discussion: Bloomberg Business, Vox, Mediaite, Raw Story and Hit & Run